Latest news with #BlakeMoret

National Post
3 days ago
- Business
- National Post
Ninety-Five Percent of Manufacturers Are Investing in AI to Navigate Uncertainty and Accelerate Smart Manufacturing
Article content Article content MILWAUKEE — Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the world's largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, today announced the results of the 10 th annual ' State of Smart Manufacturing Report.' The global study, fielded in March 2025, surveyed more than 1,500 manufacturers across 17 of the leading manufacturing countries. Article content As manufacturers continue to face uncertainty driven by economic shifts, the report highlights how companies are turning to smart manufacturing technologies to manage risks, improve performance, and support their workforce. It also examines adoption of emerging technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and cloud-based systems. Article content 'Today's technology advancements are unlocking new opportunities where the combined potential of people and technology will shape our collective future,' says Blake Moret, Chairman and CEO, Rockwell Automation. 'As this year's report shows, manufacturers around the world are using smart manufacturing to navigate disruption and create new opportunities for speed and agility. At Rockwell, we believe innovation and resilience go hand in hand. With the right technology and right people, we can simplify complexity and lead with confidence during times of dynamic change.' Key global findings include: Article content 81% of manufacturers say external and internal pressures are accelerating digital transformation, with cloud/SaaS, AI, cybersecurity, and quality management ranking as the top areas of smart manufacturing technology investments. 95% of manufacturers have invested in, or plan to invest in, AI/ML over the next five years. Organizations investing in generative and causal AI increased 12% year-over-year, signaling a maturing approach to advanced technologies beyond experimentation. Cybersecurity ranks as the second biggest external risk, with 49% of manufacturers planning to use AI for cybersecurity in 2025 – up from 40% in 2024. 48% of manufacturers plan to repurpose or hire additional workers due to smart manufacturing investments. Additionally, 41% are using AI and automation to help close the skills gap and address labor shortages. Quality control remains the top AI use case for the second year in a row, with 50% planning to apply AI/ML to support product quality in 2025. Article content Beyond these data points, the report reflects broader movement towards more efficient and adaptive operations. Manufacturers are using smart technologies to strengthen supply chains, accelerate sustainability initiatives and make faster, more informed decisions. There has also been a 5% rise in the importance of analytical and AI skills for leaders, showing that talent development and technical innovation must go hand in hand. Article content Still, many manufacturers face challenges when implementing AI. Nearly half of respondents say the ability to apply AI is now an extremely important skill – up from just 10% last year. Article content The full findings of the report can be found here. Article content Methodology Article content This report analyzed feedback from 1,560 respondents from 17 of the top manufacturing countries with roles from management up to the C-suite and was conducted in association with Rockwell Automation and Sapio Research. The survey sampled from a range of industries including Consumer Packaged Goods, Food & Beverage, Automotive, Semiconductor, Energy, Life Sciences, and more. With a balanced distribution of company sizes with revenues spanning $100 million to over $30 billion, it offers a wide breadth of manufacturing business perspectives. Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Article content
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK): Strongest Q1 Results from the Internet of Things Group
Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company's progress, especially compared to its peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) and the best and worst performers in the internet of things industry. Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) companies are buoyed by the secular trend of a more connected world. They often specialize in nascent areas such as hardware and services for factory automation, fleet tracking, or smart home technologies. Those who play their cards right can generate recurring subscription revenues by providing cloud-based software services, boosting their margins. On the other hand, if the technologies these companies have invested in don't pan out, they may have to make costly pivots. The 6 internet of things stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q1. As a group, revenues beat analysts' consensus estimates by 1.9% while next quarter's revenue guidance was in line. Luckily, internet of things stocks have performed well with share prices up 10.6% on average since the latest earnings results. One of the first companies to address industrial automation, Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) sells products that help customers extract more efficiency from their machinery. Rockwell Automation reported revenues of $2.00 billion, down 5.9% year on year. This print exceeded analysts' expectations by 1.1%. Overall, it was an exceptional quarter for the company with an impressive beat of analysts' EBITDA estimates. "Rockwell delivered another quarter of strong operating performance with sales, margins, and EPS all above our expectations. We saw a healthy intake of orders across most of our lines of business, with total company book-to-bill in-line with our historical average of about 1.0. We also continue to add resiliency to our operations as we navigate a highly dynamic environment. I'm proud of how our employees and partners are working together to position Rockwell as the automation leader of choice for our customers in the U.S. and around the world," said Blake Moret, Chairman and CEO. Interestingly, the stock is up 24.6% since reporting and currently trades at $314.93. Is now the time to buy Rockwell Automation? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it's free. A spin-off of a spin-off, Vontier (NYSE:VNT) provides electronic products and systems to the transportation, automotive, and manufacturing sectors. Vontier reported revenues of $741.1 million, down 1.9% year on year, outperforming analysts' expectations by 2.8%. The business had a strong quarter with a solid beat of analysts' adjusted operating income estimates and a solid beat of analysts' organic revenue estimates. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 13.6% since reporting. It currently trades at $36.09. Is now the time to buy Vontier? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it's free. Founded by an employee at a real estate rental company, SmartRent (NYSE:SMRT) provides smart home devices and software for multifamily residential properties, single-family rental homes, and student housing communities. SmartRent reported revenues of $41.34 million, down 18.1% year on year, exceeding analysts' expectations by 3.1%. Still, it was a softer quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts' adjusted operating income estimates. SmartRent delivered the slowest revenue growth in the group. As expected, the stock is down 5.7% since the results and currently trades at $0.85. Read our full analysis of SmartRent's results here. Started from its humble beginnings in motor repair, AMETEK (NYSE:AME) manufactures electronic devices used in industries like aerospace, power, and healthcare. AMETEK reported revenues of $1.73 billion, flat year on year. This result missed analysts' expectations by 0.7%. Aside from that, it was a mixed quarter as it also produced a decent beat of analysts' EBITDA estimates but a slight miss of analysts' organic revenue estimates. AMETEK had the weakest performance against analyst estimates among its peers. The stock is up 6.4% since reporting and currently trades at $180.04. Read our full, actionable report on AMETEK here, it's free. Playing a role in the construction of the Paris Grand, Trimble (NASDAQ:TRMB) offers geospatial devices and technology to the agriculture, construction, transportation, and logistics industries. Trimble reported revenues of $840.6 million, down 11.8% year on year. This number topped analysts' expectations by 3.8%. Taking a step back, it was a satisfactory quarter as it also logged an impressive beat of analysts' EBITDA estimates but EPS guidance for next quarter missing analysts' expectations. Trimble scored the biggest analyst estimates beat and highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. The stock is up 13.1% since reporting and currently trades at $71.64. Read our full, actionable report on Trimble here, it's free. Thanks to the Fed's series of rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has cooled significantly from its post-pandemic highs, drawing closer to the 2% goal. This disinflation has occurred without severely impacting economic growth, suggesting the success of a soft landing. The stock market thrived in 2024, spurred by recent rate cuts (0.5% in September and 0.25% in November), and a notable surge followed Donald Trump's presidential election win in November, propelling indices to historic highs. Nonetheless, the outlook for 2025 remains clouded by potential trade policy changes and corporate tax discussions, which could impact business confidence and growth. The path forward holds both optimism and caution as new policies take shape. Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Top 5 Quality Compounder Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data


Business Wire
09-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Rockwell Automation to Present at Wolfe's 18th Annual Global Transportation & Industrials Conference
MILWAUKEE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK) Chairman and CEO, Blake Moret, and SVP and CFO, Christian Rothe, will present at Wolfe's 18th Annual Global Transportation & Industrials Conference on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in New York. The fireside chat will be webcast beginning at approximately 9:10 a.m. EDT and will be available on the Rockwell Automation Investor Relations website at Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. We connect the imaginations of people with the potential of technology to expand what is humanly possible, making the world more productive and more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 27,000 problem solvers dedicated to our customers in more than 100 countries as of fiscal year end 2024. To learn more about how we are bringing the Connected Enterprise to life across industrial enterprises, visit
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Rockwell Automation Stock Surged to a Nearly 12% Gain Today
Despite suffering both top- and bottom line declines, the company beat analyst estimates for both metrics in its fiscal second quarter. On top of this, it raised its profitability guidance for the full year. 10 stocks we like better than Rockwell Automation › In its fiscal second quarter of this year, Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK) saw both revenue and profitability slip. Yet investors found several silver linings in the company's earnings report posted Wednesday morning, and they rewarded the stock with an almost 12% increase in price on that day. This compared favorably to the S&P 500 index's 0.4% bump higher. The quarter saw Rockwell earn slightly over $2 billion in revenue, down from the over $2.1 billion in the same period of 2024. Headline net income followed a similar trajectory, sliding to $248 million from the year-ago profit of $265 million. On a non-GAAP (adjusted) per-share basis, the company's bottom line was $2.45, marking a slight deterioration from $2.50 in the second quarter of 2024. Investors reacted positively to this number anyway, not least because professionals following Rockwell stock were expecting worse. On average, they were projecting the company would post $1.96 billion for revenue, and $2.09 for adjusted earnings per share (EPS). Another factor is that nothing out of the ordinary occurred with Rockwell to merit concern. In its earnings release, the company quoted CEO Blake Moret as saying that during the quarter, "We saw a healthy intake of orders across most of our lines of business, with total company book-to-bill in-line with our historical average of about 1.0." One more plus for Rockwell is that it made an upward adjustment to its profitability guidance for the full fiscal year. It's now expecting adjusted net income of $9.20 to $10.20 per share, well up from its previous estimate of $8.60 to $9.80. It only tweaked to its sales forecast, which should land at around $8.1 billion for the year. This feels to me like a "steady as she goes," stock. Also, due to its stated plan to offset the effect of tariffs with pricing and supply chain adjustments, it should be attractive as a hedge investment while the trade war grinds on. Before you buy stock in Rockwell Automation, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Rockwell Automation wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $613,546!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $695,897!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 893% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 162% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 5, 2025 Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Rockwell Automation. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Why Rockwell Automation Stock Surged to a Nearly 12% Gain Today was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rockwell Automation Inc (ROK) Q2 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Navigating Sales Decline with ...
Despite strong execution, there remains uncertainty in the second half regarding pricing to offset new tariffs and the timing of CapEx investments by customers. The company is increasing its full-year segment margin target to 20% and expects adjusted EPS to be about $9.70 at the midpoint, reflecting strong execution and demand. Rockwell Automation Inc ( NYSE:ROK ) achieved a segment margin of 20.4% and adjusted EPS of $2.45, both above expectations, driven by cost reduction and margin expansion actions. The company's Intelligent Devices segment saw double-digit sequential growth across all key product lines, driven by strong performance in the Power Control business. Rockwell Automation Inc ( NYSE:ROK ) reported a solid sequential improvement in customer demand across many parts of its business, with a healthy intake of orders and a book-to-bill ratio in line with historical norms. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript . Story continues Q & A Highlights Q: Can you elaborate on the strong growth in e-commerce and warehouse automation, and does this include data centers? A: Yes, the growth in that vertical is driven by multiple factors, including warehouse automation for consumer-facing industries and e-commerce players building new fulfillment centers. Data centers are also part of this growth, particularly through our cubic power distribution equipment. - Blake Moret, CEO Q: Lifecycle Services has been a consistent source of upside. What caused the recent slowdown in growth? A: The slowdown is primarily due to delays in CapEx-intensive projects within the process verticals, affected by lower commodity prices and pauses in digital services spending. However, our competitiveness remains strong, and some delayed projects have already come in. - Blake Moret, CEO Q: How are customers balancing reshoring acceleration with macroeconomic concerns? A: Customers remain optimistic about US manufacturing, but delays are due to concerns about cost certainty, interest rates, and demand from end markets. However, we see positive trends in e-commerce, warehouse automation, and life sciences, which are expected to continue. - Blake Moret, CEO Q: Can you provide more detail on the tariff impact and how Rockwell is positioned compared to competitors? A: Our exposure includes imports from Mexico, Canada, and China, with most being USMCA compliant. Our US manufacturing footprint is significant, and the redundancy established during the supply chain crisis is beneficial. We are positioned to offset tariff costs through pricing and supply chain actions. - Christian Rothe, CFO Q: What is the outlook for operating leverage and margin expansion as revenue recovers? A: We aim for 35% incrementals, with opportunities for margin expansion as volumes recover. We continue to manage costs prudently, prioritizing new product innovation and customer-facing resources while maintaining a lean headcount. - Christian Rothe, CFO For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus.